Album Review

DJ Quik's spot in the Platinum & Gold Collection series isn't nearly as thorough as The Best of DJ Quik, released two years prior on Arista, but it is a tighter disc for its discerning track list. With the exception of "You'z a Ganxta" and "Hand in Hand," it contains each of the MC/producer's singles that charted through 1999, meaning that 2000's Balance & Options and 2002's Under tha Influence go unrepresented. That shouldn't be a problem for casual fans, who will most likely seek this out to get the hits from the first couple albums — such as "Tonite," "Born and Raised in Compton," "Just Lyke Compton," and "Way 2 Fonky." What the planet truly needs is a compilation of Quik's undervalued production work, which has now thrived for well over a decade.

Biography

Born: 18 January 1970 in Compton, CA

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Years Active: '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

One of the premier West Coast gangsta rap artists of the early '90s, DJ Quik was a rapper as well as a producer whose career carried on well into the next decade, as he put his career aside and began working primarily as a beat-maker. Born David Martin Blake on January 18, 1970, in Compton, California, DJ Quik made a name for himself on the mixtape circuit during the late '80s, compiling tapes also featuring fellow rappers AMG, 2nd II None, and Hi-C. On the basis of these mixtapes, he was signed...